The present invention relates generally to baffle plate assemblies used in railroad cars. More particularly, this invention pertains to baffle plate assemblies operative to pass air and/or other gases therethrough while reducing the amount of liquid passing therethrough.
The railroad car industry has a need for a baffle plate assembly that may be used in conjunction with a pressure relief valve to allow air and/or other gases (the combination of air and/or other gases shall hereinafter be referred to simply as "gases") to pass out of a railroad car while reducing the amount of corrosive liquid passing from inside the railroad car into contact with the pressure relief valve. The railroad industry transports corrosive liquids across the country using railroad cars having pressure relief valves and baffle plate assemblies on a regular basis. During transport, the railroad cars are exposed to changing environmental conditions, such as heating by sunlight from the sun, and, as a result, pressure builds up inside of the railroad cars. The pressure build up is due to gases released by the corrosive liquid due to heating or other changing environmental conditions. The pressure relief valve is necessary to release the pressure build up before the railroad car is damaged. The pressure relief valve allows the gases to pass out of the railroad car, thereby reducing the pressure inside the railroad car.
The pressure relief valves used in railroad cars are susceptible to and may become damaged by contact with corrosive liquids. To prevent damage to the pressure relief valves, the railroad car industry positions the pressure relief valve in an upper portion of the railroad car separated from the corrosive liquid by an air space. However, when a railroad car transporting corrosive liquid comes to an abrupt stop, as is the case when two railroad cars are connected together, the corrosive liquid contained within the railroad car is sloshed back and forth. As a result of the sloshing motion, some of the corrosive liquid splashes onto the pressure relief valve.
To reduce the amount of corrosive liquid contacting the pressure relief valve due to sloshing and splashing, baffle plate assemblies are installed in the railroad cars between the pressure relief valve and the corrosive liquid. These baffle plate assemblies are designed to pass the gases to the pressure relief valve and out of the railroad car while minimizing the amount of corrosive liquid passing through into contact with the pressure relief valve.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a baffle plate assembly currently in use in railroad cars. This baffle plate assembly is manufactured from HDPE and includes a first plate, a cylindrical member, and a second plate. Similar versions of this baffle plate assembly are manufactured out of stainless steel and fiberglass. The cylindrical member includes a plurality of circular openings for passing air and/or other gases therethrough and a plurality of drainage openings for draining liquid out of the cylindrical member. Although this baffle plate assembly does reduce the amount of corrosive liquid contacting the pressure relief valve to some extent, some corrosive liquid still passes through into contact with the pressure relief valve. As a result, the pressure relief valve is damaged and must be replaced. Replacement of damaged pressure relief valves is expensive and increases operating costs for the railroad industry. There is no other known baffle plate assembly that may be used to further minimize the amount of corrosive liquid contacting the pressure relief valve.
Thus, what is needed, then, is a baffle plate assembly that further reduces the amount of splashing corrosive liquid passing therethrough while allowing gases to pass therethrough. Such a baffle plate assembly would further protect the pressure relief valve from damage, thus reducing replacement costs and extending the useful lifetime of the pressure relief valve.